Driven by recruiters and talent assessors who follow the AAU circuit, high-school basketball players today tend to develop their skill set with an eye toward a projected college position. Many prospects believe it's a death knell to be labeled a "tweener."

Steve Blackledge, The Columbus Dispatch

Driven by recruiters and talent assessors who follow the AAU circuit, high-school basketball players today tend to develop their skill set with an eye toward a projected college position. Many prospects believe it’s a death knell to be labeled a “tweener.”

Upper Arlington senior guard Kevin Vannatta might be the antithesis of today’s prototype. He’s not a particularly adept three-point shooter and doesn’t break ankles with crossover dribbles. He’s more of a Swiss Army knife who finds various ways to get the job done.

Coach Tim Casey uses words such as gritty, determined, tough and crafty to describe Vannatta, who has played a vital and multilayered role in the Golden Bears’ run to the state tournament. Roughly 6 feet 3 and 185 pounds, the left-handed shooter leads UA in scoring (18.7 points per game), rebounding (6.7) and bruises accumulated.

“I learned to get tough playing with my brother Eric in the driveway,” Vannatta said. “He’s 3 years older than me and about my height, but thicker. Our games got really physical, and I learned not to back down no matter how big your opponent is.

“All through high school, most of our opponents have been bigger than us, and I’ve taken on the mindset that the smaller guy somehow has to find a way to win those battles. I just try to be a little more physical than the next guy, and our team really prides itself on being stronger with and without the ball.”

In his past three tournament games, Vannatta has racked up 26, 29 and 27 points. He has a knack for using head fakes and contorting his body to draw fouls. On the season, he is 151 for 188 (80.3 percent) from the free-throw line. Against a Northland team with a 6-8, 6-7 and 6-6 front line, he managed to get 19 rebounds in a regional final on Saturday.

“When Kevin was a sophomore, we put him in the post because we had a lot of good guards and he obviously took to playing with his back to the basket pretty well,” Casey said. “He averaged like 13 points a game just by doing the dirty work and outmaneuvering, outscrapping and outsmarting people around the basket.”

A high achiever in the classroom, as well, Vannatta signed to play at North Carolina Asheville. He also considered Columbia, Western Carolina and Williams College.

“In college, I’m sure my role will change,” he said. “I’ll need to become a better ball-handler and defender and become stronger physically. I don’t imagine I’ll be able to post up many people at that level. I’ll be relying a lot more on my perimeter game.”

Although Vannatta has been the focal point in recent games for the Golden Bears (26-1), he is the first to admit that the team’s success is predicated on all pistons firing in sync. UA relies heavily on half-court execution, setting screens and breaking down defenses with precise passes. This is a senior-oriented team with strong chemistry.

“All seven of the seniors on this team grew up together playing on (teammate) Danny Hummer’s backyard court,” Vannatta said. “We’ve been best friends since third or fourth grade.”

Vannatta wasn’t the best athlete of the group, but he gave up football and baseball in high school and developed into a top-flight basketball player.

“I had a strong suspicion all along that this was going to be a special group,” said Casey, who himself starred at Upper Arlington and went on to play in a final four at Wittenberg.

“This school has produced a lot of state championship teams, and it has been a goal of ours since I’ve been here to hang a banner for basketball up on the wall, as well. To finally get to the state is a fitting reward for all the hard work these kids have put in.”